Most discussions and policy lessons about the commercial role in education have derived from the provision of private education programs in elementary, secondary and higher, and education and training. The private education industry includes two additional categories of activity which have not been the focus of attention. These are the private provision of education products and education services. But how large are these two activities? Do they involve international trade? Do they already attract the interest of private capital? Are these activities growing, and if so, what are their implications? This analysis will attempt to respond to these questions, and will be divided into four sections. The first section defines education products and services, and outlines the structure of the two sub-sectors. The second section describes the size of commercial activity and its trends. The third section reviews the challenges and opportunities for those who are interested in investing in this arena. The fourth section asks the question of whether the commercial provision of education goods and services is good or bad, inevitable or not; whether countries, unsure about the appropriate response, should welcome or resist these trends. Commercial activity in education goods and services can be expected to grow substantially. Reliable local data are rare, in part because of how education data are categorized, and in part because education data are untrustworthy in general. Government regulations may inhibit or in some instances distort local markets, for commercial enterprises, whether local or international. On the other hand, the efficiency importance of having a highly responsive commercial sector providing education goods and services is incontestable. These changes will raise questions about the assumptions about the virtues and drawbacks of globalization, the ‘protection’ of developing countries, and the importance of maintaining local cultural integrity. They will also challenge some of the basic principles of national education systems. Do countries have the right to prohibit access to education if supplied by a non-government provider? If supplied by an international provider? Or do citizens in all democracies have the same right of access to the education of their choice? Should nations with technical or regulatory advantage be restricted from exporting education goods and services, on grounds that they may ‘dominate’ other cultures? But what if citizens want to buy it? What if they are willing to privately pay for it? Is education like a railroad or public utility? Or is there something which differentiates education from other public good services? Far from being settled, these questions will continue to be at the forefront of debate in the next few years.